Disney news, rumors, and round up: December 2022

Lots of news and updates coming at you right now – Disney has been keeping it busy with announcements! Plus I skipped the November news post, so you get a double whammy from me. Bringing you this one mid-December and before you know it, it will be 2023! Let’s see what’s in store for Disney in the coming year.

Disney news

• 2023 will be a big year for Disney, as they are celebrating 100 years – starting on January 27th with kick-off events in Disneyland!
• Of course, the biggest Disney news that everyone probably already knows – CEO Bob Chapek was fired and previous CEO Bob Iger was brought back. For details, I recommend checking out Disney Tourist Blog.
• Pricing for Genie+ has increased from a set $15 to “$15 or more” based on the date you are visiting.
• Fantasmic has reopened in Hollywood Studios.
• Restaurants that have recently reopened in Disney World include Akershus (with Princess character dining) and Takumi-Tei in Epcot.
• Epcot’s Festival of the Arts (one of my favorites!) will run in 2023 from January 13-February 20.
• Over at Disneyland, they’ll be celebrating the Lunar New Year from January 20-February 15.
• On the west coast, the California Food and Wine Festival at California Adventure will be taking place this year from March 3-April 25.
• Pricing has increased at Disney World on certain 1-day tickets and for the park hopping add-on.
• Dining reservations can now be cancelled up to 2 hours before the reservation time (this is a change from the previous policy, which required reservations to be cancelled 24 hours before). There are some exceptions to this, such as Victoria and Albert’s and Hoop-de-Doo.
• Disney Cruise Line will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2023, and as part of the celebration they are introducing a new membership tier for their loyalty program, Castaway Club. Those who have completed 25 or more Disney cruises will now achieve Pearl status.
• Disney’s newest animated film, Strange World, did not perform well at the box office and is projected to lose $100 million.
• Mickey’s Toontown will be reopening at Disneyland park on March 8th, 2023.
• Starting on December 16th, guests visiting Epcot will be able to participate in the new DuckTales World Showcase Adventure using the Disney Play app.
• In Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain will close on January 23, 2023. It will reopen sometime in 2024 as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant will be opening in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios in “spring 2023.”
• A new coffee shop will be opening “soon” at Disney’s Boardwalk, called Carousel Coffee.
• Disney Cruise Line purchased a partially built ship and plans to retheme it and set sail sometime in 2025. It’s expected to be based outside of the United States.

Disney rumors

Disney World // Rumor has it that park pass reservations will soon be done, at least in Disney World. Supposedly this has been in the works since Chapek was operating the company, but if they roll it out soon Iger will get the credit for it.

Disney resorts // A number of Disney World resorts have seen some refurbs to the rooms to add touches of “character,” especially in the deluxe resorts – Polynesian rooms have Moana, Contemporary has the Incredibles, and Grand Floridian has touches of Mary Poppins. Rumor has it that more resorts will get updated in this way.

Magic Kingdom // Rumors have been around for years (literally) about when Tron will actually open, with the current line from Disney being “Spring 2023.” Several rumors are now pointing to early April for the opening of this attraction.

Other Disney blogs

Thinking about a Disney cruise in 2024? Over on the Disney Cruise Line Blog, they take a look at the opening day pricing for a number of sailings in 2024.

If you’re interested in Guided Tours at Disneyland, Mindy from This Fairy Tale Life has all the info for you!

Tom from Disney Tourist Blog shares 7 ways that Bob Iger could improve the Disney Company.

Over at Fairest Run of All, Jenn has a recap of the Wine and Dine Half Marathon last month! Which is good, because I never got around to writing mine.

Don’t pass up Disney Springs during your holiday visit! Allyson at WDW Prep School takes you through the 2022 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll.